Chief of sinners though I be, Jesus shed His blood for me!

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A Great Wall-A Greater Need

Today, I had the honor to walk on the Great Wall of China. Some 7500 miles away, most of those I know are celebrating Independence Day. I will miss the BBQ but will enjoy delicious Chinese fare!

There is much different about out cultures and there is also much that we share in common! Standing on this massive stone wonder causes me to think that whether a civilization is less than 300 years old or more than 5,000, the same can be said for both:

Protection of a nation’s land
Does not come from its mighty hand;
Security is just a fraud
Unless the people trust in God. —Sper

The words of Proverbs 14:34 could be chiseled on the tombstone of many civilizations: “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.” We think we can build a nation on the gross national product or defend it with massive military, but God says that countries are built on the character of their people.

The people of ancient China sought security from the barbaric hordes that swept down from the north, so they erected the Great Wall of China. The massive wall stretched for 1,500 miles. It was 12 to 40 feet wide and 20 to 50 feet high. The wall was too high for the enemy to scale, too thick to tear down, and too long to go around.

Yet during the first 100 years of the wall’s existence, China was invaded three times. How was the security breached? The enemies simply bribed a gatekeeper and then marched easily through a gate. The fatal flaw in China’s defense lay in spending its wealth to build a wall but paying much less to build the character of the gatekeepers.

America and China both need God as our “refuge and our strength” (Psalm 46:1). The pursuit of wealth and power at the cost of character will surely end in demise!